My Husband is a Spiderman Fan

When I first met Olivier, I thought it was really cool that he loved Spiderman so much. But at the time, he was married to someone else, not to me. I didn’t have to live with it. So, I thought it was cool and cute.

He collects Spiderman stuff. But he’s not the kind of collector that buys the latest official Marvel Spiderman gadget/toy/book/action figure etc. and keeps it in its original box and stores it in a special place for display purposes.

Oh, no, he’s not that kind of collector.

He decorates the flat with his collection. He uses it. And, when I first met him and he had a restaurant, his restaurant was also decorated with Spiderman. Not completely, but Spiderman was definitely visible. And his house was the same. Spiderman everywhere.

Olivier’s house in France

So, of course, I thought he was wonderful that he had such a passion for something. The only thing I ever collected in my life was stamps. And stamp collecting wasn’t a passion, it was just something kids did in the 70s (remember the 70s?).

Fast forward to 2009, Olivier was no longer married to his first wife. He was married to me, and we wanted to build a life in Moscow together. If you’ve ever moved to another country, you’ll know that you just can’t bring everything you have with you. We brought only 2 suitcases and a couple of carry-on bags with us. There was no room for his Spiderman collection in Moscow.

As a result, before we came to Moscow he sold most of what he’d collected over the years. He didn’t sell it for a fortune. But he sold his collection to someone who had as much passion for Spiderman as he had. He did keep a few special things which are still in storage in France, so everything was ok.

When we installed ourselves in Moscow there were almost no Spiderman objects in the flat.

But it didn’t take long for Olivier to start collecting again, and soon we had some little Spiderman souvenirs decorating the flat. Then some more. And then even more.

Olivier’s Spiderman cupboard

Every time we walked past a kiosk in the street that sold toys and other miscellaneous stuff, we stopped and looked to see if there was anything with Spiderman. And there often was.

Kids watches, puzzles, figures, keyrings, erasers, yo-yos…

Pinball machine (it’s not ours!) and a toy camera

And then in bigger shops, we found cups, glasses, pencil cases and plastic document folders (perfect for a teacher)…

A fan, a cup and some glasses, and a big inflatable Spiderman

And then when we travelled in Russia and abroad, we found even more stuff. Rubber balls, masks, usb drives, more keyrings, Pez dispensers, dart boards, handkerchiefs, a shirt, socks…

A postcard and a glass, and our ‘web’ on the living room windowSome decorations on the bathroom door, a calendar, and socks

Our couchesMe with a cushion, and a curtain covering the shelves in the bedroom (note the bed cover)

Plus the presents from well-meaning friends.

Russian dolls

You get the picture.

I would really love to live a bit more ‘minimalistically’, but with all these Spiderman things in the flat it’s a little difficult to achieve that.

Anyway, did I mention the Spiderman bedsheets? Well, as you can probably guess, most Spiderman bedsheets are made for single beds, for children.

We don’t sleep in a single bed. But, we have a single continental quilt/doona/whatever you call it, with a Spiderman cover and matching pillowcases. And we have a choice of designs so it doesn’t get boring.

Some of our Spiderman bed covers

I don’t really mind all the Spiderman stuff in the flat, it’s quite quirky and fun. It’s like living in a museum. A Spiderman museum.

Did I tell you that I’m arachnophobic? It’s true. I’m extremely arachnophobic. I will cry if a spider decides to walk on me. I will panic and run away if I see one in the flat or anywhere near me. If it’s really small I’ll manage to get a tissue or something and kill it. If it’s big (I know, it’s all relative), I’ll run away and ask for help like a damsel in distress.

Don’t judge me for killing spiders. I just can’t live with them so one of us has to go. It’s either them or me.

One of the best things about leaving Australia was saying goodbye to the spiders that live there. Have you seen the spiders in Australia? There are small ones, big ones, huge ones, black ones, grey ones, black and red ones, and ones that will kill you.

Spiders are my nightmare.

So, living in Moscow where there are not many spiders at all is quite a nice life for an arachnophobe. Unless said arachnophobe lives in a Spiderman museum/our flat.

Pin me!

There are some Spiderman objects that I just can’t have around me, because of the black spider design. Olivier is very understanding about this and kindly keeps these things hidden away. I can live with Spiderman but not with spiders, if that makes sense.

And have you noticed how Spiderman is EVERYWHERE?! Take a look next time you go somewhere. Just look around you and you’ll see him. At least, he seems to be everywhere for us. We try to stop and say ‘hi’ when we see him, it makes his day.

He’s everywhere!And still more Spiderman!

We also get stuff in the supermarket – there is food and drinks with Spiderman, too.

Olivier also has Spiderman tattoos. He has tattoos of Spiderman, of Spiderman skin, and of a Russian cartoon character wearing a Spiderman costume. I don’t know if he has any plans for any more Spiderman tattoos, but he still has some room left on his arms so he might get another one some day.

Some of Olivier’s tattoos

Our flat is full of Spiderman, and sometimes I think that it’s not possible to find something with Spiderman that he doesn’t already have. But, somehow we find more, and bring it home and put it in the museum.

When we travel, we take Spiderman with us too. Well, if you have to have a bag, why shouldn’t it be a Spiderman bag?

A carry-on bag at the aiport, and one on wheels – very practical

Then, sometimes, we find things that are clearly not right. Like this Spiderman Superman lighter, and these Spidey Pidey gloves. Which, by the way, are for kids. Like the socks. And everything else.

A lighter and gloves – both fails

And, before I go, one more Spiderman for you. This has got to be one of the ugliest Spiderman figures I’ve ever seen. It’s even uglier in real life. It’s made of plastic or silicone or something. Very unattractive. But, it’s in the collection – we bought it in Hue, Vietnam.

Can you find an uglier Spiderman than this one?

What do you think of collecting things? Do you collect anything? Is it a waste of time? A waste of money? Would you be comfortable living in a Spiderman museum? Please share your thoughts with us in the comments below, or send me an email cheryl@borninacar.com with photos of your collections and I’ll share them here.

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Ohhhhh goodness me – minimalist me (who grew up in a family of collectors) is shuddering a little at all that stuff. Good on you for being so supportive – I’d be quietly tossing it in the bin when he wasn’t looking 🙂 I’m so glad that my husband and I have very little in the way of collectables, but I do admire your husband’s commitment to his hero! PS: I wrote a couple of posts on my collecting family – you could put “hoarders” in my search bar if you want to read them. Thanks for linking up with… Read more »

Hi Leanne, yes, I know 🙁 It’s a mess and I try to be supportive, as you put it, but sometimes I do tell him how I really feel. I do love that he has this passion so I can’t really complain too much about it. He’s a bit like a child, he’s so happy when he gets something new, it’s endearing (sometimes 🙂 ). I’ll pop over and have a look at your posts a bit later, thanks for letting me know about them. Enjoy the rest of the week! 🙂

Oh my goodness. That’s a lot of Spiderman. I think I’d have to lay claim to part of the apartment and say no Spidey in here, especially with a fear of spiders (and I’ve heard of those Australian spiders…no thank you!) How many times did he go to see Into the Spider-Verse?

Hello Jennifer! The only part of the flat without Spiderman is the balcony, and I don’t often use it which means I’m constantly surrounded 🙂 Actually, he hasn’t been to see Into the Spider-Verse, and he’s a bit negative about it because it’s animation and not true film, so I’m not sure if he’s going to see it or not. The other films, though, he’s watched countless times. He’s even been to the cinema in Moscow and watched one Spiderman film in Russian language, even though he didn’t understand it all. He’s seen all the films multiple times. Crazy! Thanks… Read more »

Surprised that he is anti animated Spiderman when it all started with comics. I have to say, I loved the movie…yes I geek out on Marvel and DC comic movies…but I’m a minimalist at heart and limit the dustibles in my home. Too much time wasted keeping everything clean.

Yes, I was surprised too when he said he wasn’t interested in seeing it. I think it’s about style – he’s old-school, and he loves the older designs of Spiderman much more than the newer, more modern ones. Yes, even though he’s a big fan, he’s selective and has his preferences. 🙂 I also limit the dustibles at home, only I have no control over the ones with Spiderman on them, also for reasons of too much time cleaning. 🙂 There’s so many more important things to do than cleaning!

This is so sweet, I love it when people follow their passions without thinking what the world would say. I shamelessly collect books, mugs and magnets from wherever I travel. And I don’t think its a waste of time or money at all. These things are great to remember who you are and what you love doing and definitely to lift up your spirits when you feel down. Thanks for such a unique post, I enjoyed reading it. Have a great day 🙂

Hi Ayushi! Thanks for your warm and positive comment 🙂 Good on you for collecting things you love. I also used to collect books, before I left Australia to travel to Moscow. Now I try to live with as little as possible (as you see, Spiderman dominates and there’s little room left for me!). Yes, he does get pleasure out of his ‘collection’ so it’s really worth it – I love to see him happy! Thanks again for reading and commenting! 🙂

Hi Cheryl, your husband certainly is passionate about Spiderman isn’t he? I’m not sure I could take all of that around the house, so you are very supportive which I suppose we should be with our partners. I have just gone through the process of decluttering my 92 year old Mother-In-Law’s home in preparation for sale. I swear she has kept every piece of wrapping paper, 1,000s of plastic bags as well as personal items from her life. There are so many unopened items such as crystal bowls and vases that she has never used it was like a department… Read more »

Hi Sue, I have my days where I tell him that I’m tired of living with ‘all this junk’, but it’s not often, and I don’t do anything drastic about it. He’s happy, and it’s nice to live with a happy person. 🙂 I remember my grandparents’ house, it was full to the brim of stuff. Yes, like your mother-in-law, lots of unopened boxes and other keepsakes. They definitely weren’t minimalists! Makes me wonder again about why we think we need so much stuff – it’s no longer a sign of wealth, it’s just …. I don’t know what. Thanks… Read more »

At least he uses and enjoys them! My partner collects baseball cards, and keeps them in boxes (a LOT of boxes) in the garage. I ask why he doesn’t want to display them, and he claims he’s going to sell them someday. I’m pretty sure he’s just hoarding, like a dragon.

Side note: I’ve always thought it odd that Spiderman and Batman are so popular even though most people hate spiders and bats. I admire your courage in living with so many depictions of something you fear!

Hi Anna! Nice to see you again. Yes, I guess the upside is at least he uses them. 🙂 Even all his pens and notebooks are Spiderman! Yes, about your partner keeping his cards in boxes hidden away, that would really irritate me! It’s hard to get rid of things sometimes, so maybe he has an attachment to them and isn’t ready to let go of them. And who knows, he could make some money from them one day – that’s a positive thing about hoarding! I agree, bats and spiders are the last thing I’d use to try and… Read more »

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6 months ago

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jonas

He is one lucky guy. That you accept his passion and don’t try to change him. As many would talk him out of his quirky passion. There is a lot of judgement going on, in our world. So, I love the fact that he dares to walk around with his spiderman carry bag. Sometimes hobbies can get out of control, but hey, it’s better collecting spidermans than having any kind of destructive hobby. Prepare yourself, because new spiderman movies are coming out haha. I am wondering, through all this stuff, would you notice it if he adds something new to… Read more »

Hi jonas, nice to see you here. 🙂 Thanks for the compliment. He is lucky, but I’m lucky too – he’s a pretty easy guy to live with and his passion doesn’t really present any negatives (except that I’m a minimalist and scared of spiders…), so I’ve got it good too. I don’t think he’d buy something and try to ‘sneak’ it into the collection without telling me – when he buys something new he’s so excited he can’t wait to tell and show me (like a kid!), even if my reaction is less than enthusiastic. But if he tried,… Read more »

Hi Silvia! I’d love to see your husband’s Spiderman collection. Does he have Spiderman tattoos, too?! It’s pretty crazy, but he’s happy 🙂 Thank you for visiting and commenting. Come back again sometime! 🙂

He loves spiderman’s apparel, he often pretends to release spiderwebs from his wrists (ah ah he is not crazy, just a bit childish) and pretends to be a super hero with our daughters (which is super cute).

My husband also pretends to release the web from his wrists!!! It’s hilarious, but after 12 years together it’s a bit ‘old’ now 🙂 I’m sure your daughters love your husband being a superhero – we don’t have any children so it’s just me who gets the ‘benefit’ of my husband’s superhero behaviour. 🙂 So nice to have another woman who understands what I’ve living with! Have a great week!

Hi Natalie, pins are a great thing to collect. They’re not so big 🙂 I always wanted to collect something but so far I haven’t been passionate enough about anything to make a collection. Your collection will be interesting to your children and grandchildren – imagine the stories they will provoke! Thanks for visiting. Have a great day! 🙂

Wow! You are such a good patient wife! That is incredible.. he is a major major fanatic.. my 7 year old has a spiderman duvet, cushion, clock and dolls… though between me and my 5 year old we have about 44 care bears… oops..

Hi Marion, Yes, you’re right, I’m a good patient wife (and I make sure he doesn’t forget it!). Fortunately our flat is too small for him to get too carried away! We do sometimes see things in shops that he doesn’t get because there’s just no room – so I have to be thankful for that. Thanks for visiting and commenting! 🙂

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